


Snakes and a Lioness

by auberus, Morgyn Leri (morgynleri)



Series: Snakes and Lions [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Highlander: The Series
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Alternate Universe, Crossover, Don’t copy to another site, GFY, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-29
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2020-05-28 18:38:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19400047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/auberus/pseuds/auberus, https://archiveofourown.org/users/morgynleri/pseuds/Morgyn%20Leri
Summary: Severus Snape makes a deal with Methos for an extracurricular education.





	Snakes and a Lioness

Severus knows Lily won't look in the pub he's currently in the back of, poking half-heartedly at the meal he'd ordered - which now resembled so much mush - and sipping at a glass of water that he wishes he could transfigure to pumpkin juice. She hasn't looked in here for the entire fortnight since they returned from Hogwarts, and so he orders food he won't eat and a drink he only tolerates in order to have an excuse to stay.

He looks up when the door opens and closes, studying the new arrival. He's not one of the regulars, who've come to recognize Severus and have learned to leave him alone. Severus isn't actually certain he's seen the man around anywhere before, which means he's either a fool who's decided to move in, or an even more idiotic tourist who doesn't have a clue where he is. Severus isn't sure which he hopes the man is, but either one will do, if only for the entertainment value. And to take his mind off Lily, and the possibly ruined friendship between them.

He really doesn't want to think about that.

So he watches as the barmaid gives the man a mildly curious look before asking him what he'll have. Listening to see what sort of accent the man has, and if he can place it. And if the man talks about more than what he wants to eat and to drink.

Methos doesn't generally like being the center of attention, especially the sort of attention one gets when the entire bar goes quiet when one enters the room. Ignoring the feel of eyes crawling along his skin, he heads to the bar, where the publican is giving him the same unfriendly look as most of the locals. He doesn't speak; just lifts his eyebrows and waits.

"Beer," Methos tells him. "[insert brand here], if you've got it. The bartender does have it, and Methos takes it, handing over enough cash to cover the drink and a tip. Turning around, he casts a quick glance over the bar. There's only one empty seat in the place, next to a pale, skinny kid with a nose as prominent as his own. The boy doesn't look old enough to drink, and the glass of water he's ignoring is proof that he's not. It piques Methos's curiosity, enough so that he doesn't mind having to sit there. Being alone would have been better, but then again, the boy looks unsociable enough that Methos will probably get to read the book he has tucked away in his coat pocket. The real issue is that he'll have to sit with his back to the rest of the pub, and he's still getting some hateful looks. He has no doubt that he'll win if it comes to violence, but being hit first and from behind might cramp his style a bit. Fortunately, his peripheral awareness is very good.

With a faint shrug, he slides into the seat opposite the boy, giving him a brief smile before taking his first sip of beer.

Severus scowls when the man comes over to his table, though he knows it's the only one with much in the way of a free seat. Everyone else is certainly large enough to make it inadvisable to sit near them, even if there are empty seats at their tables. He doesn't bother to return the man's smile, though he does glance at the beer a moment. No one really asks for anything but what's on tap, and it's curious to see someone ask for something different.

"Why even bother coming here?" he asks, quietly, his scowl fading only slightly into something more curious than unfriendly.

"I wanted a beer," Methos says flippantly. "Why are you here?" Hopefully that will fluster the boy to the point where Methos will be able to read his book in peace and relative quiet. The truth is that he's here because it's the last place the idiot hunting him would think to look for him.

"Because Lily won't look for me here." It slips out before Severus can guard his tongue, and he wonders why he said it, mentally cursing himself for revealing a potential weakness to someone he doesn't even know. "And there are better places to get a beer, if that's all you wanted," he adds with a sneer, trying to distract from his own admission.

The sneer is impressive, for a kid in the neighborhood of fifteen or sixteen; impressive, even. Methos grins. "It's a bit crowded," he admits, "but they have my brand of beer, and three shillings cheaper than it is anywhere else I've been. Why not come here?" With a sly smile he adds, "Who's Lily?"

"Because this isn't anywhere the tourists even bother to look, and if you've moved here, you're an idiot or hopelessly optimistic," Severus shoots back, glaring at the man when he asks about Lily. He bites out the next words, his tone sharper and harsher than he intends. It really is a sore spot right now. "Lily is none of your business."

"You're the one who brought her up," Methos points out, then lets the subject drop. While poking at the subject might be more interesting, he's being careful to avoid interesting these days. Adam Pierson has an interview with the Watchers in two weeks, and Methos is laying as low as he possibly can. That means no picking fights, not even fights he can easily win. It also means staying here for a little while; enough time, anyway, for the hunter to lose his trail. "As for me," he continues, "it is possible to be neither newcomer nor tourist." He smiles faintly. "I'm passing through, and thought I could use a beer or three."

"No one stops here." At least, not that Severus has noticed since he started paying attention. No one wants to stop in a town that's crumbling, and there are more people out of work than working - it looks like a place to be robbed or worse.

Severus studies the man for a long moment, his food forgotten entirely as he tries to figure the man out. "You're hiding from someone, too." He doesn't want to know who, and so he doesn't ask, but he's sure the man has to be hiding from someone. It's the only explanation that makes sense in this town. It's a good place to hide if you don't want to be found, after all, mostly because no one comes here.

Well, a good place to hide if the locals don't toss a person out on his ear. Severus smirks slightly at the thought, even if it's unlikely his table-mate will be tossed out. To do that, people might have to disturb him, and they're usually reluctant to do so. It's perhaps the only advantage to being the son of Tobias Snape.

Methos lifts an eyebrow. "Has anyone ever told you that playing guessing games so accurately can prove dangerous with the wrong person?"

Severus shrugs, though he wonders if he hasn't gotten himself in more trouble than he can get out of. Than he remembers how angry Lily is with him, and that his other friends aren't talking to him because he won't break off a friendship with Lily; there are more important things to worry about than one man who might be dangerous when the whole world is poised on the brink of war, and neither side really likes him.

"Only when there isn't a way out." And he's a Slytherin, he always leaves himself a way out. Even if it risks someone getting angry because he used magic in front of - and on - Muggles.

Methos lets himself laugh. He's starting to like the boy in spite of himself. He's prickly, cautious, and unconcerned with any opinion a stranger might hold. Methos takes another swallow of beer before offering the kid his hand across the table. "I'm Alan Robertson." More accurately, he had been Alan Robertson; he's not about to give Adam Pierson's name when there's still a chance that the moron he hopes he's ditched might actually manage to track him here.

After a moment's hesitation, Severus reaches out to take the offered hand in a firm grip. "Snape." Alan may be willing to share his full name, but Severus isn't about to do so, not to someone who is still, despite the provision of a name, a stranger.

"It's a pleasure," Methos says dryly. Oddly enough, it is. His book lies forgotten in his pocket. Snape is much more interesting, at least for the moment. "Is that a first name or a last name?" Methos asks. He's guessing last name, and wondering which of the public schools Snape attends.

"Last." And not the family Severus particularly cares to identify with, but the name he's saddled with. He isn't going to share the name of his mother's family, either, jealously guarding that for himself for now. He is silent a long moment, watching Alan.

"Why are you hiding from someone?" There are many reasons he can think of to hide from a person, but it's curious what would cause a grown man to hide. Well, other than a Muggle hiding from a wizard, but somehow Severus doesn't think that's the case.

"Because I don't want to be found." It's a true enough answer, albeit largely uninformative, save to confirm that Snape's suspicion is correct. 

"I'll make you a deal," he continues, smiling. "If you want a real answer, you'll give me one in return." Otherwise, Methos can sit here and be blandly uninformative for the next few hours; that's as much a game as the one he's just suggested, but of another sort entirely.

Severus tilts his head, considering the offer. It's the sort of game he'd expect from one of his house-mates, which means there's perhaps something intriguing about this Muggle other than his simply being here, and his hiding. "I reserve the right to refuse to answer a question, but I will say it simply." Rather than snarking or deflecting, as he usually might.

"Provided I'm allowed the same, we have a deal." Methos's smile is a touch sharper than he'd meant it to be. "Would you like to go first, or shall I?"

A generous offer, and one that Severus is not fool to pass up - any advantage is to be taken. He nods in agreement to Alan's caveat, as it was expected anyway. "Why are you hiding?"

"Because I don't want to be forced into a position from which I might have to hurt someone; nor do I want the attention I would most likely get as a result of doing so." Methos smiles. Every word is true, even though the answer itself just skims the surface. 

"My turn," he continues. "Who is Lily?"

"My friend, who I am hiding from because she's angry at me." It doesn't really cover why she's angry at him, or even all the reasons he's hiding from her - or who all he's hiding from, now that he thinks about it, but that's not what Alan asked for, so Severus keeps it to himself. "Why chose this town to hide in?"

Why the pub is less of a question than why the run-down and worn-out mill town that this place used to be. Severus wants out, he's certain Lily wants out, and Lily's shrew of an older sister has already found her ticket out, though she hasn't cashed in on it yet.

"Because it was here, and I don't expect my pursuer to find me here." Methos shrugs. "Which school do you attend?" he asks, mostly to satisfy the momentary curiosity he'd had earlier.

Severus hesitates, though not out of a desire to lie, but one to be honest. After a moment, he answers simply, "Hogwarts." There's no need to elaborate on it, not in ways that will reveal the existance of magic to a Muggle he doesn't care to share it with. "It's a boarding school in Scotland."

"Are you attending university, or in a trade?" he asks in return for the question about his own schooling.

"Both," Methos answers, just barely managing to keep his expression neutral at the mention of Hogwarts. He's avoided wizarding society for quite some time and doesn't usually miss it, but he does occasionally miss Hogwarts. 

"What do you want to do when you've finished school?" he asks, almost as eager as Snape to avoid any further mention of Hogwarts. He has no intention of giving up any of his actual secrets to an overly clever teenager, even - especially - if that teenager can use magic.

"Not become cannon-fodder." He wants power, and he wants prestige, but he doesn't want to become just another one of the dead. Which means chosing a side, and the Dark Lord still seems the best choice for avoiding that fate. He also wants Lily to live and to be his, in that order, but he can't see how to have both, as well as his own life, no matter what he chooses. "How do you manage both university and a trade?"

"Careful time management. Besides, my employer encourages continuing education." He'd given Robertson's name, but is giving Adam's answers in the spirit of being truthful. Robertson, after all, had died in a car accident last week, while Adam's employment with the Watchers was already a done deal despite the need to go through the motions. 

"Why are you worried about becoming cannon-fodder?" This sounds like something has gone very wrong. England is involved in no wars but the Cold War, and that's not the sort of thing a Hogwarts-trained wizard would be involved with anyway.

"That I cannot answer." There have been a handful of scattered attacks on Muggles already, but so far, they've been explained as isolated murders or bombings by Muggle terrorists. It's not something he can, even if he wanted to, explain to a Muggle. "What are you studying at university?"

"Linguistics and Ancient History." Methos drummed his fingers on the table-top, his beer temporarily forgotten while he tries to figure out a way to find out what's going on in the wizarding world without exposing himself to the sorts of questions he doesn't want to answer.

"Do you plan on going to university?" he asks, to buy himself a little time.

"No." He plans to apprentice to a Potions master - and perhaps, to a master of the Dark Arts, because he wouldn't mind mastering those, either - but he doesn't plan to attend a Muggle university. "Why chose to study those subjects?" It seems a safe enough subject to pursue, if it keeps Alan's questions away from ones Severus can't, or won't, answer.

"Because it relates to my job." Methos realizes that he's still drumming his fingers on the table, and picks up his beer for a sip in order to make himself stop. There's no other way to find out what's going on that he can think of, and if whatever it is is turning Hogwarts students into cannon fodder - well, he supposes he still has some responsibility in that area. 

"If I tell you I'd heard of Hogwarts before you and I ever met, will you tell me what's going on?" he asks.

Severus freezes, staring hard at Alan for a long moment. "Maybe. What do you know about Hogwarts?"

He hadn't thought Alan a wizard, though perhaps he's a Squib whose blended in well with Muggles, or a wizard who had failed his OWLS, and left the wizarding world rather than be forced to be around what he could never control.

"Everything." Methos says, smiling faintly. "From the Founders on down to the points system." Tilting his head to one side, he regards Snape with a steady, unreadable gaze. "I'll ask again: How is it that a Hogwarts student - and a Slytherin at that - is worried about ending up as cannon fodder?" He's fairly sure he's accurate in his guess as to Snape's House. A Gryffindor wouldn't have thought in terms of cannon fodder, but in terms of heroes. A Hufflepuff would fuss about it more, and a Ravenclaw would have had a book to read as well as a meal to pick at. Add that to Snape's willingness to trade answers, and the answer came up Slytherin.

Letting his wand loosen in his sleeve, Severus wonders if he should just hex the man and find a way to flee. There's more to him than meets the eye - and while he has to be a former student, there's something about him that makes Severus wonder if he really is just the Muggle - or Squib - he appears to be. There's danger here, almost as much as if he were dealing with Malfoy, and that makes him certain the man had been a Slytherin himself.

"There's a Dark Lord." It's the only answer he's willing to give in the Muggle pub, where anyone could overhear them. Suddenly, it doesn't seem like such a good place to hide, and Severus runs through a mental list of places he might be able to hide from Lily and not be worried about being overheard from Muggles. There's no place he can think of, and it makes him tighten his grip on his wand, though he keeps the wand itself hidden under his over-long sleeves.

"When did you leave the wizarding world?" He had to have left quite a number of years ago, to not have heard of the Dark Lord, but he doesn't look old enough to have been gone from it that long. Which means there has to be something more to him than meets the eye, and nothing that Severus can think of is anything other than dangerous.

"I won't answer that question," Methos says flatly. He'd hoped to get through the game without having to resort to refusing an answer, but Snape's question is simply too direct; there's no way to answer it without revealing information he's not willing to entrust to someone he just met, even - especially - if that someone is a Slytherin. 

"Which side are you on?" he asks.

Severus is a bit disappointed that Alan won't answer his question, and it raises more in his mind - what is Alan that he's worried about telling Severus how long it's been since he was among other wizards?

"I'm not." Neither side offers him what he wants, and while the Dark Lord offers something closer to what he wants, he knows if he makes that choice, he will lose Lily one way or another. She doesn't have a choice of which side she will fall on when it comes to taking sides. "Why did you leave the wizarding world?"

That question is easier to answer obliquely, Methos notes, even as said answer takes shape in his head.

"I had - and then lost - a very close friend. I didn't want to stick around and deal with the constant hostility, so I left." Taking another sip of his beer, he asks, "Why haven't you chosen a side yet?"

Severus shrugs, though there's a tension in his shoulders he can't make go away, so it doesn't come out as nonchalant as he'd like. "Neither one offers what I want without expecting me to give up something I refuse to." Lily, on one side, his love of the Dark Arts on the other. Gryffindors really are too in love with their idea that they are the only ones who can be good and rightous for his good.

"Did you lose the friend to death, or to someone else?" Or to something said that was foolish and unneccessary - Severus knows the fight with Lily could be worse, as there had been an insult on the tip of his tongue that would have been unforgiveable. He'd barely choked it back at the last minute, and let loose with a string of others that were barely any better, instead.

"Something else." Methos can still remember the frustration of trying to get Godric to agree to let the Dark Arts be taught at Hogwarts, and the way personal recriminations had crept into what had at first been a purely professional disagreement. "We had an argument that turned ugly." He shrugs the memory off, the pain a thousand years in the past and no longer fresh enough to wound.

"What does each side expect you to give up?" he asks.

"My best friend, or my passion." Severus isn't quite sure he wants to trust Alan with what either of those are, but there's a hint there of perhaps a parallel. Not a hint he's willing to trust yet, but it's there nonetheless. "What did you argue about?"

"The Dark Arts." It's only a partial answer, but it's enough of a truth to be acceptable here. "Your best friend - that would be Lily? Or am I wrong?"

Severus lets out an involuntary hiss at Alan's correct guess, glaring at the man for a long moment. It's something he should have figured Alan would guess correctly, given the rest of the information that Severus has provided him. "She is," he says curtly, wishing he'd avoided answering the first of Alan's questions. "What started the argument?"

"Stupidity, mostly. We argued over the way things should be done, and it turned personal when it ought to have remained professional." Methos sighs. "It's one of many regrets." He leans back against the booth, beer in one hand, and looks Snape over.

"Which side wants you to give Lily up?" he asks.

"The Dark Lord." It's not exactly how it was laid out, but how could it be anything else? He's barely accepted, and then only because his mother is a pure-blooded witch. A foolish one, to be sure, but a pure-blood still. "Is there any way to repair what is broken between friends?"

"That depends on the friendship, and on what is broken," Methos says after a pause. "And on what matters to you the most - the friend, or being right. My friend died before we could get around to apologies, but that doesn't mean the same thing has to happen to you." Methos empties his beer and signals for another. Once it's been delivered, he continues, "Why would you want to join a Dark Lord anyway? You're smart enough to know that things don't usually go well for those who do."

"Because if I don't, I become a target, and his followers will kill me." Snape curls his lip at the thought of who he has to thank for that. He'd as soon kill his father himself, but Tobias has been careful lately not to give Severus an excuse, and that's irritating. He'd always thought his father was an idiot in addition to a drunkard, but he's proven he has a modicum of cleverness. "Why do you care what happens in a world you abandoned?"

'Abandoned' hits close enough to home that Methos has to hide a wince. He's walked away from hundreds of lives, and the people associated with them, over the years, but walking away from the wizarding world had been a different story altogether. He'd left because he was angry, not because time had been catching up with him, and as a result, when things go wrong he tends to wonder if it would have been different had he stayed.

"Because I don't know whether things have gone wrong because I abandoned it," he says, then wishes he had the words back. Maybe Snape won't realize their significance - but it's more likely that he will, even though he might not know what that significance meant.

"Is Lily a target of theirs?" he asks.

The question feels like it's meant to deflect attention from Alan's answer, and Severus focuses on Alan's answer for a moment, ignoring the question asked of him in order to turn the words over in his mind. There's definitely something in there, but right now, he can't suss it out, so he leaves it to poke at later.

Instead, he gives Alan a scornful look. "Of course she is. She's Muggle-born." It's almost a surprise that the more polite term comes to his lips first, but he can only hope maybe if he can prove that he can use it first rather than the insult, he can convince Lily to give him a second chance. "If you worry about it, why don't you come back?"

"It's been too long," Methos answers distractedly before asking, "What difference does it make if she's Muggle-born?"

Severus stares, blinking after a moment when his eyes burn from being open too long. There's nothing, save a potion made with the use of the philosopher's stone - and good luck finding Nicholas Flamel to acquire it, or finding a formula for making one - that could keep anyone alive and looking almost as young as Severus for long enough to have left the wizarding world before the first laws regarding blood purity.

"She's Muggle-born. Of course it matters. Her parents aren't magical - none of her family are, save her. Even those who oppose the Dark Lord know it matters, though some of them try to pretend they don't care. Do you have a philosopher's stone, or do you stay so young in some other fashion?"

Methos goes very still. Apparently, that idiotic faction that the Blacks had been leading when he dropped out of the wizarding world had won, despite the ridiculousness of their arguments - and had won some time ago, too - perhaps not long after he'd left.

"I don't have a philosopher's stone," he says carefully. "I look young because not aging is a part of what I am. It can't be replicated." He looks Snape over, weighing him as best he can under the circumstances. "Will I have to kill you in order to keep you from talking?"

"No." Snape knows how to keep secrets, has kept secrets most of his life. What he's not certain of is that he will be able to keep the secret from others, particularly anyone who's a Legilimens, without more training than he has. He knows what Occulmancy is, but he's never had to test what he's learned from books against someone actually trying to get into his mind. "Who were you before you left the wizarding world?"

Methos considers refusing to answer, but the cat is out of the proverbial bag, and it's not as if Snape doesn't already know enough to cause Methos real problems. He lets one corner of his mouth curve upward into a rueful half-smile.

"Actually," he says dryly, "I founded your House."

His next question isn't about Snape. He needs to catch up to what's been going on while he's been away.

"How long has this attitude towards Muggle-borns been an issue?" he asks, putting aside all the masks save for Salazar's, letting himself slip back inside that persona. It's easier right now than being his true self would be, and Snape is bright enough that playing Alan or Adam with him would be an insult if he kept it up any longer.

Snape snorts, though the shift in the man - Salazar Slytherin, if his confession is to be believed - is both a surprise and not much of one. He wonders if he can learn to do that, to move between masks with such ease. "Since you, according to the history books." If, of course, the man is indeed Salazar Slytherin. "The split between the Founders is supposed to be because you didn't want to teach Muggle-borns, and the others did."

He pauses, thinking about his next question. "If the split between Slytherin and the others isn't where that began, what was?" It's a way to poke at the thought, the idea, that Salazar might still be about, and to find out what he might think on the history Severus knows.

"With the Dark Arts. I wanted to teach them; refusing to learn how to use a weapon an enemy might use against you is sheer stupidity. The Muggle world was, at that point in time, going through a phase in which suspected witches and wizards - but more of the former - were being burned at the stake. A lot of the Muggle-born students balked at learning anything at all, until it was pointed out that if they didn't, their gift would betray them under stress. As I'm sure you can imagine, the thought of learning the Dark Arts, even for protection, frightened a good many of them even after they'd been at Hogwarts for several years. I wanted to go ahead and teach everyone who was willing to learn, leaving out those Muggle-born students who were not. Godric didn't want them taught at all. We argued; I left. How things got from there to the story you were told, I can only guess. There was an anti-Muggle-born coalition formed from some of the older families - the Blacks, the Malfoys, some of the others - they may have coopted my name after I left, but that's only a guess. I left the wizarding world behind when I left Hogwarts."

Severus remains silent, trying to absorb all the information that's just been thrown at him. A few things stick out, but most of it isn't as clear in his mind as he'd like. That the split had been over the Dark Arts, that he'd figured out on his own, and it's little surprise that the Malfoys, or the Blacks, haven't wanted to deal with Muggle-borns, even a thousand years ago. Though that they'd had those names, even then... that he's not as certain he can believe.

Methos sighs. "I should have known better than to walk away," he admits. He'd done it before, and it had worked to an extent, but the other Founders weren't the Horsemen, and he should have tried things differently. "I was tired, and I took the easiest way out."

Tucking his wand back into place - he'd nearly forgotten he held it until he'd thought about reaching for his glass, and had to peel his fingers off it - Severus gives Salazar a long look. "And would things have been better if you stayed?"

He doesn't know if they would have been, or wouldn't have been, or if it's been too long since the Founding of Hogwarts for there to be any way to know. Severus is curious if Salazar has any way of knowing, or if he is even willing to speculate.

"They'd have been different. Whether that would be in a good way or a bad way..." Methos shrugs. "It's impossible to predict. Could I have brought the Blacks and their faction around? Probably, if I'd been willing to make a point of frightening them into compliance, and willing to let them in on the fact that I don't age. I wasn't then, and I'm still not now, and even if I had been, no one can predict what would have happened - any more than you can predict what will happen should you choose the Dark Lord over your best friend."

"Gryffindors still don't like the Dark Arts." Severus takes a long sip of his water, and glances down at his plate. He's not hungry now any more than he was when he ordered the food, but he really ought to eat it. It's not as if there will be anything worth eating at his house when he goes back. "And if I agree to oppose the Dark Lord, they'll expect me to give up learning the Dark Arts. I don't care to do that any more than I care to see Lily killed."

Methos is silent for a long moment, thinking. "I'll offer you a third possibility, provided you keep everything you've learned or will learn about me to yourself. I'll teach you the Dark Arts, and the countercurses. Some of the spells have probably evolved over time, but not so much that they'll be completely different. Wizarding society is fairly conservative in that respect."

To learn from a Master of the Dark Arts is some of what Severus had hoped for after Hogwarts, and to have this offer now is more than he's even hoped of having without following the Dark Lord. He considers the offer, and after a moment, speaks quietly. "I had hoped to apprentice to a Potions Master, as well as a Master of the Dark Arts, after Hogwarts. The history books don't actually include what your masteries were. What do you have mastery of?"

"The Dark Arts, Charms, Potions, and Arithmancy," Methos answers. "I'll teach you one or two or all of them. I'm fairly skilled in Transfigurations, also; I just never went for a Mastery because one has to become an animagus, and I wasn't sure if my Immortality would survive the transformation. And there are other things I can teach you as well, if you're interested." Snape isn't an Immortal, but he will live longer than most mortals if he's careful. It would be interesting to see what he could make of himself with proper training - and training him would help cure - or at least put off - the boredom that's been haunting him for two centuries now.

Severus isn't terribly fond of Charms, though he's competant enough in it that he thinks he got at least an Acceptable on the Charms OWL. The other three, though, he's far more interested in, and if he's going to learn them, he might as well learn Charms from a Master as well. Actually, if he takes Salazar's offer to teach him anything he will teach him, Severus might be able to remain out of the war altogether.

"I still have two more years at Hogwarts before I take my NEWTs, though I will have the summers and holidays free." Severus pauses, watching Salazar. "Anything you are willing to teach me, I'm willing to learn." Knowledge, after all, is a kind of power, and one that Severus has always craved. Even more than the power he'd been offered as a follower of the Dark Lord, even more than prestige - even, almost, more than he wants Lily.

"I wish all of my students had been so accommodating," Methos mutters, half under his breath. More loudly, he continues, "What do you want to do with the knowledge? I've been around for a very long time; you won't live long enough for me to teach you everything. It would be best for you to tell me what you wish to achieve, and to let me decide what will help you towards that end."

"A Mastery of Potions, and of the Dark Arts, and the ability to keep myself and Lily safe, whatever happens." Though there is no official master of the Dark Arts in Britain any longer, since it's a subject banned from Hogwarts, Severus still wants to master the art. He can't defend against what he doesn't know - and the magic is interesting, besides.

Methos nods. "The first two won't be a problem. The third - no one can teach you that, because it's impossible to predict all the situations in which you two might find yourselves. Still, I'll do the best I can. Do you want me to include training in Muggle weapons? They can provide a serious edge when it comes to facing wizards. Bullets travel faster than the speed of sound, and that makes them very hard - if not impossible - to shield against."

Weapons that a wizard won't expect, even those who are Muggle-born or half-blood, because everyone has magic. Severus doesn't like the idea of guns, in general, but he does like having an edge that no one else will. "Those that will be an advantage against wizards, yes."

And after this, he can go to Lily and tell her he's rejected the Dark Lord's offer, that he will not become one of his Death Eaters, and maybe it will be enough for her to forgive him, and talk to him again.

"I'll put it on the list," Methos assures him. "If you're really serious, I'll put off my next life until the summer is over, since that's when you'll have the most time to spend on this."

Severus nods, holding Salazar's gaze for a long moment. "I want what I have said I want. Anything that I can learn from you to further that, I will. Whatever it takes." He is, after all, a Slytherin, and there's almost nothing he won't do to have what he wants, save to destroy some part of what he wants. It's what's held him back from joining the Dark Lord, what's kept him from contemplating fighting the Dark Lord. It's what's caused the problems with Lily, and probably all that kept him from destroying any chance he has with her.

"Then that is what you'll get," Methos assures him. "I'm not the world's easiest teacher - far from it - but you will learn. And if you break our agreement, I will kill you - and anyone you've told about me." He says the last in a matter-of-fact tone, not bothering to sound threatening.

If anything, the lack of threat in Salazar's voice makes the threat more chilling, but Severus tries not to let that show, despite wanting to go for his wand. "I would swear a wizard's oath, but that would require someone else to administer it." And the only person he'd trust with this is Lily, and she's not yet talking to him again, nor is likely to until he can assure her he has no intention of joining the Dark Lord.

Methos smiles tightly. "And I'm not likely to trust a third party. Your word will be sufficient."

Which is something that no one except Lily and his mother has ever done before, and Severus is surprised by how good that feels. "Thank you." He pauses, glancing down at the table, then looks back at Salazar. "When do we begin?"

"Today, if you have the time. I don't have my wand with me, so I thought we'd start with target practice. I am carrying a gun." He stands up, stretches, and throws enough money on the table to cover his beer and Snape's food. "First, though, I think you should tell me your name."

Severus stands up himself, blinking when Salazar pays for his uneaten meal as well as the beers Salazar had drunk. Meeting Salazar's gaze, he waits a moment before saying, quietly, "Severus Snape."

"And you can call me Ian," Methos says, picking one of his backup identities. Adam Pierson can't be involved in anything like this. He's going to have to put off that particular life for some time, he thinks - but he has hopes that it will be worth it.

A third name, and one that will keep anyone from guessing who Severus' teacher is, though he will remember, and keep the secret to himself. He follows Salazar out, and after a moment, asks, "Are you familiar with Legilimancy and Occulmancy, Ian?"

"Very." Methos laughs. "Those were the first things I mastered, when I decided to spend some time among wizards. Being Slytherin is one of the nicer things I keep to myself. After all, he created something that lasted." So had Death, if a legend can be counted, but that's not something he particularly wants to go into.

"Can you teach me both?" Severus wants to be able to be certain he'll be able to keep the secrets he's been provided, and others that he will learn over time. "I will not tell your secrets, but I cannot at the moment promise no one will rip them from my mind."

"I was planning on it," Methos says. "We can start that today, if you'd prefer it to target practice."

Severus hesitates, before shaking his head. He's familiar with at least the basics of Occulmancy, but he's not familiar with guns, or what to do with them. Better to learn what he doesn't have any information on, and worry about the other another day. "I'd rather begin with what I don't know anything about, than with something I have some passing familiarity with."

"Fair enough," Methos says. "All we need, then, is an abandoned building far enough from the rest of town to avoid being overheard. I carry a silenced pistol, but silencers throw your aim off and are really not for beginners."

Nodding, Severus tilts his head down one of the streets that leads away from Spinner's End, toward an area where there are several abandoned warehouses, and at least one abandoned mill. It should be a good place for shooting, and likely for any other practice which might involve things better done where they can't harm anyone other than themselves if something goes wrong.

"Will this suffice?" he asks as they turn onto the street which is all abandoned buildings.

"Perfectly," Methos says, looking around with satisfaction. "This way." He leads the way into one of the abandoned warehouses, and can't help thinking to himself that this would be perfect ground for a challenge, too. Fortunately, nothing of the sort is forthcoming, so he pulls out one of his pistols and hands it to Severus. "Here," he says. "You can keep this one if you like. By the time we're finished today, you'll be qualified to do so, though I wouldn't suggest you rely on it just yet." He pulls out a second pistol for himself. "First things first," he says, sitting down. "This is how you break down a pistol."

* * *

Severus has proven he can break down and reassemble the pistol to Salazar's satisfaction, and he's grudgingly admiring of the skill that must go into the making of the gun. They've just begun with how to shoot, the positioning for target-shooting similar to the beginning of a duel, when Salazar freezes for a moment, his attention turned inward - or at least, not on Severus.

"What is it?" He's not sure what's happening, and he instinctively lets go of the gun with his wand hand, leaving it in his off, in order to let his wand drop into his palm. Just in case there's trouble.

Methos curses under his breath before turning his attention to Severus.

"Trouble," he says, "but not the sort you need to worry about." Putting the pistol away, he reaches into his coat and pulls out his sword. More loudly, he says, "All right - I know you're here. You can come out now." 

When the other Immortal does just that, Methos rolls his eyes. It's the same moron he'd been hiding from the day he'd met Severus, and he's no more in the mood for a Quickening than he'd been that day.

"Why don't you just bugger off," he suggests. "I don't want your head, and you can't take mine."

"That remains to be seen," the moron - Methos thinks his name is Ron - swings his sword about in what he probably thinks is a menacing manner. It makes him look like an incompetent; nevertheless, Methos turns to Severus.

"Get out of sight, behind something that will give you some cover," he orders, in a voice that brooks no argument. "In the extremely unlikely event that that fool manages to cut my head off, get as far away as you can. I'll explain later."

Severus frowns, but he bolts for the target he'd transfigured from the rickety wooden pallets that had been left in the warehouse. It's not the best cover, but it's the closest, and the best that doesn't require him to leave the warehouse entirely. He crouches behind it, peering out a moment to watch Salazar and the stranger curiously, his wand still held in a tight grip.

"Come on, then," Methos says, once he's sure Severus is behind cover. Ron - or whatever his name is - does just that, grinning in anticipation.

He isn't grinning for long. Three parries in, and it's obvious he's outclassed. Methos takes a thrust just below his collarbone, and uses it to hang up the other Immortal's sword while he himself slices open the man's stomach. It's a nasty wound, not fatal in and of itself, but incapacitating enough that Methos's next stroke is the one that takes the other Immortal's head. As the too-familiar mist starts to rise above the body, Methos looks over towards Severus. 

"Stay put," he orders, just as the Quickening crashes over him and he loses track of everything but the pain and the ecstasy of it.

Severus knows his jaw is hanging open, but even though he's been aware of magic all his life, he's never seen anything like the display that's happening in front of him. Nor is it like anything he's heard of in the Muggle world, which only reinforces the idea that Salazar is something beyond what he's understood before - and makes him curious, once more, just what he is.

When the lightning dies down, he manages to get his jaw shut before Salazar's attention returns to him, and he stands up slowly, his wand almost falling from his lax grip before he tucks it back up his sleeve. "That was... impressive. What was it?"

"A Quickening," Methos says testily. "Not a big one, but a Quickening." He hears the tone in his own voice and makes a deliberate effort to sound less irritated. "It's his concentrated life force, in essence." Pushing himself to his feet by leaning on his sword, he continues, "It has to do with what I am - and what he was." As always, his muscles have managed to stiffen up in a matter of mere minutes, and the energy still racing through him makes him feel jittery and on edge.

Narrowing his eyes at the irritable tone, Severus is silent while Salazar finishes his explanation. He's not sure just why it is that he reacts like he's had one too many Pepperup potions in a row, but the reaction is familiar enough (he really will have to thank that idiot Goyle for volunteering, albeit unintentionally, for that experiment last year).

"How much of an idiot does someone have to be to seek out that out?" he asks, amusement lacing his voice more than he intended.

"When they're seeking it from me?" Methos snaps. "Very stupid indeed." He relents a little bit. "It's complicated, but in essence what happens is that the winner gets the loser's life force - and power. The older the loser, the more power is transferred to the winner. Our friend here was a relative child, with only a couple of centuries behind him. I'm significantly older."

Severus stands by his earlier thought that someone who wants to jitter like that is an idiot, but doesn't voice it again. "Interesting," he says instead, a speculative expression on his face. "And what happens if an idiot like that attempts to use one of your students who isn't like you to seek you out? If, say, I were to disabuse him of that notion permanently?"

He's hoping it's not going to effect him, because he doesn't want that sort of power - it makes him too much of a target, and he has no desire to be made more of one than he already is.

"Unless you cut his head off, he'll get back up and most likely kill you," Methos says irritably. "Even the Killing Curse won't stick. There's a reason we're called Immortals. If anything like that does happen, just wait it out. I'll be along shortly, and I will take care of them. Permanently."

Glaring at Salazar, Severus tightens his grip on the gun he'd almost forgotten he still had. "I'm not an idiot, no matter how mortal or young I may be, and I was watching as you decapitated the dunderhead!" Sectumsempra would work for removing a head, if cast with enough intent, and he's certain that it would work for anyone who was making enough of a problem of themselves that he's concerned for his own safety.

He turns toward the body, gritting his teeth a moment, then drops his wand from his sleeve, his voice a hiss as he slashes his wand through the air, testing his theory. It leaves one arm seperated from the body, and a deep gash in the torso. It is satisfying to know it should work as he intends, and he smirks at his work - it is, after all, one of his more interesting curses.

"As I said, what would happen if I were to disabuse such an idiot of his notion of using me to find you? Permanently," he adds, gesturing at the damage done to the corpse. "Or do I need to find a more animate target for the curse to prove its efficacy?"

"That won't be necessary," Methos says dryly, forcing himself to settle down a bit. "I'd still prefer to handle the situation myself. If a mortal kills one of us and there's no one around to take the Quickening, all that power and experience gets lost. Aside from that?" Methos shrugs. "I don't think anything would happen." At least, that's what Watchers' accounts have said. "I've never seen one of us killed by a mortal without being close enough to get the Quickening myself."

"Hmm." Severus nods, though he makes no promise to leave an idiot Immortal to Salazar - although he might just make use of them as target practice if they appear to be a danger to him. It would be interesting to have an experimental subject he can't kill, at least long enough for Salazar to arrive and deal with them. "How did you know he was here before he revealed his location?"

"We can sense each other within a certain distance," Methos answers, looking at his ruined clothing in annoyance.

Severus nods again, adding that information to the rest he's found out about Salazar, in a compartment in his mind. He draws in a deep breath after, glancing at the body. "What do you want to do with the body?"

He could vanish it, or likely, Salazar could vanish it, and someone will register the magic - indeed, come to think, there will already be a letter about his use of magic in a location where Muggles could observe it being owled to his mother soon. Or just about his use of underage magic. Which means his momentary concern about vanishing the body is rather unnecessary.

"I'll deal with it," Methos says. "It's my mess." He hasn't used any magic in centuries, but when he reaches for it, it's right there, ready for him. A few muttered syllables are sufficient to reduce the corpse to ashes, and Methos banishes the smell with a wave of his hand and a brief gust of wind. He's never met another Immortal who used magic, so he doesn't know if his ability to do so without a wand is unique to him or not. He doesn't really care, being far more willing to deal with a few unanswered questions than to have another Immortal learn how to use magic.

Blinking, Severus wonders if he might figure out how to do wandless casting, though he suspects it's unlikely. Soundless, yes, but wandless is no doubt harder, and possibly something that requires talents he might not have.

He clenches his hand around his wand a moment before relaxing, and tucking the wand up his sleeve for the second time that day, before carefully lifting the gun at an angle where it's not pointed at either of them. "Shall we continue with the lesson?" The please goes unspoken, but implied - at least as far as he's concerned.

Methos nods, then pauses to fix his ruined coat and shirt before pulling his pistol back out. If he's going to start using magic again, he might as well go for broke; there's no sense in wasting good clothing.

He lifts the pistol, aiming at the target, then realizes to his extreme irritation that his hands are shaking. It's been a long time since he took a Quickening, and apparently it's not done with him yet.

"You remember the stance," Methos says, lowering his own weapon. "Aim for the center of the target; you're less likely to miss that way. That pistol is going to kick, so you have to make sure you compensate for it." He tilts his chin towards the target. "Go ahead. Don't stop until the pistol is empty."

Severus takes up the stance easily, holding the gun the way Salazar had shown him - and corrected when he hadn't had it quite right earlier - aims and fires, wincing when it barely hits the top of the target. Despite Salazar's warning, he hadn't quite been ready for the kick, and it showed. Grimacing, he tries again, doing better at compensating this time. Again, and again, adjusting when he needs to, until the gun clicks at empty. Half of his shots are in the red circle painted at the center of the target, the rest in the unpainted space around it - a few quite wide, but still in the wood.

"Very good," Methos says, his mood slightly improved by Severus's performance. "Reload and try it again." He finds a convenient wall and leans against it, trying to let the rhythm of Severus's shots put what's left of the Quickening to bed.

Loading another magazine, Severus fires again, this time better able to hold it steady now that he knows what the kick feels like. All but a couple of his shots are in the red circle this time, and the last five of them are all clustered together, a bit up and to the right of center. It's better, but not as good as he wants to be - and this is only target shooting, not something under pressure. He should have time to get better, but Severus scowls at the target regardless.

"Better," Methos says, straightening up. He surreptitiously holds up a hand to make sure he's not still shaking before joining Severus at the firing line.

"Shooting accurately is an art," he says, pulling his own pistol back out. "Just like swordplay, or potions, or magic itself. It requires the right frame of mind. That's why you practice - so you can call that frame of mind up instantly." He takes aim, and a deep breath, then fires until his own clip is empty. One of his rounds had been high and to the right, but it was still inside the bull's-eye. The rest of his shots had made a ragged hole in the center of the target. 

"Keep in mind," Methos says, "that I've been using guns of all sizes since shortly after their invention - and that I learned to aim with more primitive weapons long before that."

Severus' scowl doesn't lessen, but he nods, reloading the gun again before casting a reparo on the target so he can try again. Focusing on the target, and hoping this time he'll at least achieve all of them in the red circle this time. Clustered like the last few had been on the previous clip would be nice, but he only manages six of them in one cluster this time. At least none of them are outside the red circle.

"For someone who just fired his first shot today, you're doing incredibly well," Methos says. He's assuming that Severus's aptitude is due in part to his practice at aiming spells.

"I do better in a duel with hexes and jinxes." Severus lowers the gun, giving the target a frustrated look. He expects better of himself, and not being able to achieve it is something he finds hard to cope with. Practice, though. He will practice, and he will do better. Good enough to be able to stop someone with a single shot, he hopes.

"And how long did it take you to become good at that?" Methos asks pointedly. "I doubt it was overnight. For someone who just started shooting, you're doing phenomenally well." He leans back against the wall, smiling reminiscently. "I used to know a man in Texas last century who could put three bullets through one bullet-hole. You don't have to be anywhere close to that good. If you hit someone center mass - in the torso - you're going to disable them. Even most Immortals would be temporarily out of action, since most of them still react to pain the way a mortal would. I don't, but then, I don't remember being mortal, so it's a bit different."

"Not very long, actually." Since it was a choice between hitting the Marauders, or spending entirely too much time in the hospital wing after an ambush. He grimaces a moment at the thought, but doesn't explain why to Salazar.

And Salazar has to be another alias if he doesn't remember being mortal, but it's one Severus is going to continue using in his own head. Though it makes him wonder just how old Salazar is, beyond certainly somewhere over a thousand years old.

"It will do for now, though," he adds, gesturing with his free hand at the target. Just slowing someone down will be enough for him to make use of a curse or hex to keep them down, depending on the sort of enemy. "And I will get better."

"Yes, you will," Methos agrees. "That much I guarantee."

* * *

Lily frowns as she looks down the street of abandoned buildings, wondering what Severus could be doing here. She's been looking for him for the last three days, trying to talk to him again, and finally resorted to a Find-Me spell while standing in the garden of his house. At least no one should object to magic happening at a magic household - they'll assume it's Mrs. Snape, since Mr. Snape isn't at home, and that's enough for Lily.

That it's led her here, though, is confusing. Unless Severus is up to some more of his tricks, or meeting with the people he calls friends and who are likely to become - if they aren't already - Death Eaters. Lily scowls, and checks her wand again, before tucking it into her pocket and stomping down the street. If Severus is up to those tricks again, she'll just tell him she's done, and he's on his own.

When she hears the report of a gun, her scowl fades into a frown, and when another sounds, she takes off at a run toward where she heard them, already fishing her wand back out of her pocket. Laws against the use of underage magic could bugger off; no matter how much she's angry at Severus, she's not going to let him be killed by some Muggle.

She skids to a stop as she bursts into an abandoned warehouse, staring at the set up inside, and the sight of Severus holding a gun, crouched behind a crumbled bit of wall, looking as if he's been running around all day. Practicing with animated targets, and a gun, and Lily can't do anything but stare, not quite sure what's going on.

Methos notices her first; a red-headed girl of about the same age as Severus, staring dumfounded at the boy, wand loose in her hand. She's still breathing fast, so clearly she'd run at least part of the way here. Methos puts the clues together and comes up with an educated guess.

"Take a break, Severus." Nodding in Lily's direction, he adds, "I believe there's someone who'd like a few words with you."

Severus turns his head, looking over his shoulder, and feels the blood drain from his face. Lily looks like she's been running, and she's staring at him in shock. This isn't how he wanted her to find out what he's been doing with his summer; he had planned on telling her on the train back to Hogwarts. When he had somewhere to retreat to if she didn't take it well. "Lily."

She frowns, tightening her grip on her wand, then tucks it back in her pocket, where she always keeps it. "What are you doing, Severus?" Lily's voice is quiet, but more confused than anything else. As if she'd been expecting something different from what she's found.

He straightens, engaging the safety before he sets the gun on the wall. "Target practice." He takes a step toward her, a small frown on his face. "What are you doing here, Lily?"

"Looking for you. I haven't seen you all summer." Lily crosses her arms, her brows drawing together as she frowns. "I wanted to talk to you."

"And I've been here all summer." Severus shrugs, shoving his hands in his pockets. "What did you want to talk about?"

Lily shoots a glance at the man who'd directed Severus to stop, and made him notice her. She's not sure she wants to talk about this in front of him. "Who's he?" she asks, instead of answering Severus' question.

"I'm Ian," Methos says, before Severus can reply. "I've been giving Severus shooting lessons." And other lessons as well, but he wants to see which way Severus jumps before saying anything about those. If he thinks Lily can be trusted with this much of what they've been doing, perhaps they can trust her with the rest of it, too. Besides, keeping Lily in front of Severus's face will keep him constantly reminded as to what he'll lose should he decide to join the Dark Lord after all. "You must be Lily," he continues. "It's a pleasure."

Lily nods, then looks at Severus with a puzzled frown. She's not sure what to think of someone she's never met knowing who she is without an introduction.

"Ian's been teaching me more than just how to fire a Muggle gun." Severus looks down at Lily's feet, not quite sure he can meet her gaze right now. "I'll apprentice to him when I've passed my NEWTs."

Which means Potions and Dark Arts, at least, Lily knows. They're what Severus is best at, and she gives him a worried look when he admits he'll apprentice to Ian. He has to be good, though, a Master of his craft, for Severus to even consider apprenticing to him. But that he's teaching Severus about guns, as well, is puzzling. "How does a wizard know about guns?"

Severus shrugs. "Because he's not just a wizard, and he hasn't been living in the wizarding world for a while. And because they're useful." He looks up, watching her with an expression Lily isn't quite sure how to interpret. "A wizard won't expect a gun, Lily. Death Eaters won't expect it, and they consider it a threat, either."

Methos smiles to himself at Severus's last sentence. If he's automatically classing Death Eaters as potential targets, it means he's headed in the right direction. His willingness to trust Lily with the rest of it suggests that he's either too much in love with her to be sensible or - far more likely - that he trusts her enough for Methos to trust her too, at least in the limited way he already trusts Severus. 

"If you're interested, I'll teach you, too," he offers.

Lily furrows her brow, glancing over at Ian, and then at the targets, some of which are still moving, though they don't appear to be mechanical, but magical. She's not terribly fond of guns, and she doesn't know that she really wants to handle one, but if there's other things to be learned, and she can be sure Ian isn't a dark wizard, she might be interested.

"Other than shooting, what are you teaching Severus?" And what can he teach her goes unspoken, though she can see hope blooming in Severus' expression. She still wants to talk to him about the incident after their OWLs, but it can wait until she finds out what's going on here.

"Potions, Charms, the Dark Arts and the necessary defenses, and Arithmancy," Methos answers. "As well as anything else I can think of that will come in handy against this Dark Lord of yours, some of it magic and some of it not, as you see." He follows Lily's gaze to the still-moving targets and frowns at them, letting go of the spell that had kept them animated.

Severus keeps quiet while Lily is talking, watching and hoping that she'll agree to stay even as he's not sure he wants her to. He had wanted to surprise her with his knowledge, but if she's learning from Ian as well, he can't do that. On the other hand, she'll be better able to protect herself.

Silent for a moment, Lily nods. If this is what it will take to get Severus to talk to her, she'll learn whatever she can from Ian. And if she decides she doesn't trust him, she'll make sure to talk to Professor McGonagall about him, and ask her what to do about it. "I won't practice the Dark Arts themselves, though I'll listen to the theory and dissect the spells. And I don't want a gun." She glances at the targets once again. "You do have the necessary certificates to own and fire the guns, don't you?"

"Of course not," Methos says unapologetically, a little surprised at being asked. "I might be able to get them, but I'd rather not. It's a lot of bother, and guns that people know you have are not quite as useful as the ones they don't expect." He smiles thinly. "That goes for all weapons, knowledge included, so I'll thank you to keep these lessons to yourself. Severus has already given me his word not to mention so much as my existence. I'll expect the same from you."

It isn't the best answer, but Lily isn't sure why she's surprised a wizard doesn't have the certificates. She's not going to fire them, though, not without certificates of her own, and since she can't get those right now, she'll just leave off learning about guns altogether. She glances at the targets again. And it looks as if Severus has that covered quite nicely, anyway.

"So long as I can trust you, and you're not dragging Severus down the same sort of road his other so-called friends are, I won't tell anyone." Lily meets Ian's gaze steadily, unrepentant about her caveat to the promise. She won't break her word, but she won't leave Severus without some way to escape if things go wrong.

Severus snorts, rolling his eyes. "Not everyone who I associate other than you is a planning to be a dark wizard, Lily." What he doesn't say is her taste in friends isn't exactly the best, either, considering the actions of the Marauders.

"I've already been a dark wizard," Methos says sardonically. "It got boring, so I found something else to do with my time." He keeps a careful eye on Lily as he speaks. He's gotten used to Severus, and sometimes lets things slip. He has to be sure Lily won't freak out if he does the same in front of her. Better to get it all out in the open now so that if it doesn't work, he can Obliviate her and move on, taking only an afternoon's worth of memories rather than a month or more.

Lily narrows her eyes, frowning darkly at the snark, although it sounds almost like something Sirius would say just to get a rise out of her. "You decided being a fifteen-year-old boy was the better option?"

Methos laughs. "I decided I'd rather be a Muggle, actually - or live like one, anyway. I'm a good deal older than I look. I'd tell you how much older, but I'm not sure that you'd believe me without proof."

Severus watches the back and forth, smirking in amusement as Lily rolls her eyes at the retort from Salazar. At least she's not running away screaming, or threatening to tell someone.

"Most wizards are older than they look, though there are a few that are a good deal younger." Lily is thinking of Potter when she says that, a momentary moue of distaste on her face. "I don't think it matters, though, unless you're planning on using Severus or me to continue looking youthful."

"He hasn't even threatened that so far," Severus drawls, shrugging when Lily gives him an irritated look. "He's just been teaching me magic, and Muggle means of defense." He glances at the targets, a proud smile on his face. "I'm doing almost as well as I would with hexes in a duel."

"Those aren't duels, Severus," Lily corrects automatically, thinking of how the Marauders bully him.

"No?" Methos asks, one eyebrow raised. "In that case, what would you call them?" He keeps his voice even, but he can read between the lines of Lily's words and her tone, and he doesn't like the thought of anyone bullying a pupil of his, especially ones he's come to like. "What would you call them, then, Lily?"

"Ambushes of at least two-on-one, sometimes three-on-one, and a spectator who doesn't stop his friends because he's afraid of losing them." Lily can see the building anger on Severus' face, and she turns to him, scowling. "And don't tell me Remus is as bad as Black or Potter, Severus!"

Severus sneers, trying to hold onto the rage that's trying to be let loose. "He's a coward, Lily! And a monster!"

"No, he's not!" Lily takes a step toward Severus, glaring. "Just because Black is a prat who doesn't understand how enormously stupid, dangerous, and downright hateful what he was doing was - to Remus as much as to you! - doesn't make Remus a coward or a monster!"

"If I may interrupt," Methos says, cutting in, "what sort of monster?" He isn't about to deliver his own judgement, which is that anyone who stands by and watches what he knows to be wrong is worse than those who commit wrong unknowingly; that's not part of his job. What he is going to do is to make sure that by the end of the summer, Severus can defend himself against multiple attackers, and then hit back.

"A werewolf," Severus snarls, having no compunction about revealing Lupin's status as a beast, no matter what he looks like most days. "Too much of a coward to even try to stand up to Black or Potter, and too much a beast to bother to apologize for nearly killing me!" His voice is nearly a roar by the end of it, and Lily is glaring at him with an expression that's nearly as angry as his.

"It's not as if he knew what he was doing, and afterward, he was horrified by what had nearly happened! He didn't even want to come out of the tower for weeks after that!" Lily uncrosses her arms, hands clenched into fists, though she carefully does not go for her wand. "And if you hadn't risen to Black's baiting you, you never would have been in any danger in the first place!"

"Enough," Methos says flatly, because there's no way he's going to be able to work this out for them. "So long as you're with me, this is a closed topic," he continues, keeping his voice quiet enough that they both have to pay attention to what he's saying. "I will say this, though. Not all werewolves are monsters all month long - and not all monsters are werewolves. I should know. I've never been a werewolf, but I have been a monster - albeit not recently."

Lily smiles, vindicated, but she doesn't actually say anything. Although, Ian's admission that he had been a monster once is both almost reassuring, and rather disturbing at the same time. She's not sure what to think of it, though so long as he doesn't prove to be a monster again, maybe she can forget about that bit.

Severus scowls, but nods once, sharp and jerky. "Agreed." It doesn't bother him that Salazar had once been a monster - how could he not have been, as long lived as he must be? - and he turns away from Lily after a moment, and back to the range and his gun. "Will we continue this today, or leave it for another time?"

"You will continue." Methos waves a hand at the targets, repairing and then re-animating them. "Lily and I are going to go through some of the magic I've already shown you, so that I can catch her up." He glances back and forth between them. "Does that work? Good," he says, without waiting for an answer. "Severus, you know what you're supposed to be doing. Lily, you come with me." The gunshots will likely prove a distraction, but not as much a distraction as a Dark Lord would be.

Picking the gun back up, Severus undoes the safety, then begins his practice again, dodging and darting through the course as he works to pick off the targets without getting hit by the paintballs the bloody things shoot back in lieu of spells. Especially not the green ones.

Lily frowns a moment at the course before following Ian toward another part of the warehouse, though still within earshot of the impromptu gun range. "How many weeks am I behind Severus?" If he's been at this all summer, she's nearly six weeks behind, but somehow, she doesn't think he's been at this for quite that long.

"About two, maybe three. We haven't been sticking exclusively with magic; firearms have taken up a significant portion of our time." Methos smiles. "He's proven quite proficient with them, actually." They're far enough away from the range that they'll be able to hear one another well enough, so Methos sits cross-legged on the ground and invites her to do the same. 

"I'll give you the same options I did Severus. I've masteries in Potions, Charms, Arithmancy, and the Dark Arts. I'm more than proficient enough in the other kinds of magic to get you both a long way past your N.E.W.T.s. If you tell me what you want to learn, I'll do my best to teach you -- but only if you're serious. I am serious about keeping all of this -- and me -- to yourselves. Betray me, and I'll kill you. I'm not having the idiots who currently run wizarding society finding out that I'm still alive."

Being able to pass her NEWTs is something that appeals to Lily, but she frowns slightly after a moment. "You haven't convinced Severus to give up Hogwarts, have you?" Certainly, even if offered a way to learn what she needs to pass her NEWTs sooner, it might be possible to not attend the final two years at Hogwarts, but Lily isn't willing to give that - and her friends - up. "I'd love to learn more, but I'm not willing to give up formal schooling for it."

"You don't have to. So far as I know, Severus is still planning on attending school this year. Besides, school makes a good cover story, in case someone should wonder where you're learning everything." Methos straightens his legs out and leans back on his hands. "We can stick to weekends and holidays during the year, or simply stick to summers if you prefer. I've all the time in the world and not much else to do at the moment."

Nodding again, Lily contemplates the idea of extracurricular lessons, and the ability to learn more than she can in her classes. The idea is appealing, and after a moment, she nods. If Severus trusts Ian enough to take lessons from him, she can at least be certain he won't harm them - Severus is one of the most paranoid people she knows.

"Potions, Charms, Arithmancy. Transfiguration, if you're willing to teach me." She looks over to where Severus is still methodically going through the course with a gun. "Do you know how to use weapons other than magic or guns, that you're willing to teach me?"

Lily doesn't like guns, but being able to use a purely physical attack gives her options that most wizards won't even thing about.

"What weapons did you have in mind?" Methos asks. The magic Lily wants to learn is all do-able, though Transfiguration is not his favorite discipline. He can teach her to use pretty much any weapon, if not to master it, but she'll have to be the one to choose what she learns. He's not about to start suggesting things.

Weapons that don't rely on distance, because if she's resorting to something not magic, the other person is going to be too close for most distance weapons that aren't guns.

"Something concealable, something useful for close combat." Lily suspects knives are the only thing that really apply, but she's not certain. "Knives, certainly. Anything else you'd recommend?"

She looks over at Ian again, raising an eyebrow.

"Not particularly. They're not my weapon of choice, but I can show you how to use them effectively. I always carry at least two." He carries other weapons as well, but under different circumstances that neither Lily nor Severus need to worry about. "I can teach you some hand-to-hand as well; how to disarm an armed opponent, that sort of thing, if you're interested in learning."

Lily nods. "Yes, please." Knowing that will be as useful as a disarming spell, if she's without her wand or has been disarmed herself. "Has Severus decided how he wants to continue during term?"

"Holidays, perhaps weekends." Severus has completed the course once more, and is listening to the conversation between Lily and Methos once more. "Are you going to join us for those lessons, too?"

Looking up, Lily tilts her head a moment in thought. "Holidays, and most Sundays, perhaps, but not Saturdays, and not Hogsmeade weekends. I'm not setting aside other friends just for this."

"It's up to you." Methos gets to his feet. "I'm going to teach Lily knife-fighting; is that something you're interested in learning as well, Severus?" Methos needs to set up some kind of schedule for lesson plans, but today he can wing it.

Severus shakes his head. "I'll set up the course to run again." He's not terribly interested in knives, since a small gun is as easily hidden, and far less likely to be seen as a danger. He gives Lily a hesitant smile before turning away to go do as he's said he will. Between them, with Salazar's help, perhaps they will survive the Dark Lord and his followers.

Lily returns Severus's smile with one of her own, before getting to her feet. She's not sure if she's glad to be starting with weapons rather than magic, but it's perhaps the most widely useful skill Ian's going to teach her.

"Here." Methos takes a pair of daggers out from under his coat. He hands one to Lily and takes off his coat, laying it carefully to one side.

"Now, there's a big difference between fighting a similarly armed opponent and using a knife as a surprise weapon, or as a weapon of last resort," he tells her. "Of course, knowing how to use a knife in an actual fight makes using it as a weapon of last resort much more effective.

"That said, the most important factors in a knife fight are speed, agility, and an eye for opportunity. Even if your opponent is careless enough to leave himself open, it won't last for long.

"Try coming after me," he tells her. "Don't worry about hurting me; I won't let you."

Lily wraps her fingers around the handle of the dagger, holding as she might her own wand, watching Ian carefully. Remembering tussles with her sister when they were both younger, and dancing lessons, and movies with fight scenes. When Ian tells her to come at him, she lunges, not entirely certain if she's doing anything right, or just looking silly.

Methos blocks Lily's strike with his own weapon.

"Here; let me see your hand." He changes her grip on the dagger until she's holding it properly.

"Now -- when you go after someone..." Methos steps forward and turns so that they're standing side by side rather than face to face, "there are a variety of ways to do so, but we're going to start here." He demonstrates, bringing the knife up in a slowed version of the attack, so that she can see what he's doing.

Lily watches Ian intently, and mimics his action slowly, trying to make sure she has the motion right before she tries to go faster. It's easier to correct her if she's wrong now, rather than if she's trying to move fast. With the change of grip on the handle, the movement Ian's showing her feels natural, almost like throwing a punch with a greater potential to be deadly.

"Good," Methos says approvingly. He moves in front of her again. "We'll keep it at this speed for now." He nods at her. "Go ahead."

Moving slowly isn't as easy as it seems, but Lily keeps herself at the same speed as before, repeating the attack, seeing where the knife is aimed as she moves, at least on Ian. Mentally mapping adjustments she'd have to make for someone closer to her height, or taller than Ian - not that most people are terribly much taller than him, and if they're more her height, they're her age, or they're women, for the most part.

Methos moves his own knife at the same speed to block her strike, turning the blade aside.

"And now I come back at you with a strike of my own." He goes low, striking. (still slowly) at her stomach. "Which you block. The main thing is to be fast enough to block and then attack, to keep pushing your opponent into making a mistake -- and not to mind if you get cut somewhere unimportant."

Lily tries the same motion Ian had used to deflect his strike, shifting slightly so she's more sideways to him, like she would for a duel. Running a mental list of what would be unimportant places for cuts as she moves to strike again, without stopping for Ian to correct any part of the movement. She'll let him do so after doing what he's mentioned - attack after blocking.

"Good," Methos tells her, blocking her blade with his own before directing a cut over her guard and at her throat, still at half-speed. 

"You can't block this; what do you do?" he asks rhetorically. "You spin out of the way, backwards, and get your guard back up again. Knife fighting is as much about where your body is as it is about what you're doing with your blade."

The instruction isn't actually needed, as Lily steps back automatically at the strike toward her throat, muscles tensing as she brings the dagger back up in the ready position from earlier. "Why turn your back, when you can move straight back? Unless you're trying to be flashy and want to be stabbed in the back."

Methos grins. "It is kind of flashy, isn't it?" He steps forward again, striking up at her. "It catches your opponent off guard, and keeps them from lunging straight at you when you step back. Anything unexpected in a fight can be weapon, shield, or both. It also puts you outside striking range for a few moments; long enough to stab an opponent without having to go through his defenses."

"Having a knife is going to be unexpected in itself, and flashy moves aren't as unexpected. At least not if what I've seen in the way of fighting already is the norm." Lily doesn't think much of what she's seen is fighting in earnest, but then, she's tried to avoid being where there's going to be anything terribly dangerous.

**Author's Note:**

> Written in 2013. Unedited.


End file.
